For a while my friends had an unspoken disdain for conspicuous displays of wealth. We all either drove crappy cars, Honda Civics, or crappy honda Civics. My best friend gave up his Mazda Miata, to drive a Civic, and still got flack because it was an EX versus the less luxurious models. My boss at work got flack for driving a Saab, and the doctor didn't hesitate to poke fun at the guy with the SUV with leather seats.

Now it seems as my friends have slowly migrated up the food chain. Yuppies they are probably not, but just looking at my driveway, it's not just waistlines that have gotten bigger.

I used to drive a beat up Honda Prelude. Now I drive a Maxima.
My neighbors
A4, to a Passat, now they have a Murano - Minivan.
Ditto for the folks across the street. Jeep Wrangler becomes a Honda CRV.
Even the family downstairs has upsized.
Mercury Villager --> Toyota Sienna - 6 inches longer, 2.5 inches wider.
Add to that the F-250 that sometimes appears, and the Expedition that occasionally shows up from the woman downstairs.

And I'm supposted to be living in a city where having a big car is a hassle? As for me, It's not simplicity that drives me. It's just plain being cheap.

So part of me wants to go back to the way things were, so I'm driving a pretty beat up 14 year old Honda Accord.